Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1915 ITALY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 170, 23 March 1915, Page 2

Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1915 ITALY.

Vfiih ig iaco'porated The Taihape Post /Oj \s <tinasi ;ni) Npw-k.j

1 he feeling and attitude of I t ahas indicated in a cabin received yesterday seems to be bringingthe war very near to a jiViasc i which none can quite foretell tin exact nature of. What other nations Italy’s advent will cause U enter the conflict, and just ■what attitude .they will display, is at prtseni not quite a known quality an:i quantity, but there is, from wnat ww have been permitted to know, the strongest cause for hoping- that Britain and her Allies will receive the support of most of them. From Italy’s pro parations the country is on the verge of entering the*confliet. Tin Minister tor Education is organising hospitals ostensibly "for wounded soldiers; schools, coland other buildings are being fitted with beds, and., above, all, (lerman and Austrian Con sills quite rtahse wont the preparations mean and are removin’ diei.- archives, ready for returning !o ineir respective countries at a moment’s notice. Extreme unrest prevails in Bulgaria, and already armed bands arc causing some trouble, and unless they arcorganised under some government authority, differences of" a serioncharacter may arise between nrtions that would otherwise Ik fighting on the same side, tiermany has taken particular pains to retain Italy’s neutrality. "Mission after mission has wasted it time, and Prince Billow, who went to Rome to make practically any sacrifice at the expense of Austria, seems to have been no more successful than those who went oefore him. It is not quite certain when one carefnly reads between the lines of aM messages from Rome that Italy has not been too cWer for her Teuton wooer. It is obvious that relations between Oermany and Austria are not what would be expected, and the great cause of elwvag-e, is apparently (Germany’s d: fure to sacrifice the territory of

Iter ffiend. There is a strong, very strong, suggestion in what comes to hand that some party is anxious to make sm-ious trouble between Austria and Germany, and it is quite inconceivable that the trouble-maker can be

friend of either party. If it is not Italy, then it is indeed hard to say who it is. Italian aspirations go beyond the actual acquirement of the territory that has been offered as the priccof her neutrality; besides, Italian statesmen know that if Austro-Germany should he successful their country could now expect nothing from the victors, who in all probability would over-run Italy to attain their prime intention to govern Europe. So it seems that Italy has by successful diplomacy brought about conditions that make i! imperative that she enter the conflict, if only to assure her future position in the council of nations. That the time of .her fntrv is near is clearly indicated by the preparations that Austria can ili-afiord to make. The de-

defences of Trentino are daily being adde to; mountain forts are being fully equipped with hcaw artillery, large stores of ammunition are being laid therein, and new batteries are being 'erected along the frontier. Austria i willing to code Trentino to Hal as well as the territory down tthe river Isonza, but refuses guarantees for the political and economic treatment ox Italians < isewhero. Italy wants i ram ■-•cm? to cession of this territory, and Austria wants to postpone it till after the war. Italy has little faith in Austria’s intentions, and therefore there is little- hope of neutrality being patched up. Although it is unwise to assume that Italy’s entry into the war is certain, there seems every indication that no other course can furnish that which will prevent it. (Since the above was in typ« cables have come to hand completely verifying the opinions herein expressed. They appear in the cable columns of this issue.)